Welcome to my first post! What do I plan to do with this vast empty space? I'm hoping that when the year is up I will have posted some great links to some awesome articles and have kept everyone up-to-date on recent foaling activity and attended shows.
In today's post we will be discussing crested necks. The crest is the topline of the neck or the gentle curve from the poll to the withers. A neck is considered crested when this area becomes very thick or in somecases flops over (fallen crest).
What causes a crested neck and how can I protect my horse you ask? There are several reasons a horse may get a crested neck. The first reason may be simple genetics as some breeds are more susceptible to a crested neck. Additionally, stallions of any breed may carry more of a crest than mares or geldings as fat in the neck is a secondary sexual characteristic. This natural conformation in a horse not exhibiting other symptoms should not be mistaken for a sign that disease exists.
Secondly, a cresty neck can be an indication of obesity which is associated with founder and fatty liver disease. A horse may gain too much weight or gain weight too quickly and store excess fat in the neck causing the crest to appear or become hard and lumpy.
A third reason is equine metabolic syndrome or EMS. Horses with EMS can exhibit several distinct signs including a crested neck, puffiness around the eyes, and lumpy fat deposits around the tail, head and withers eventually leading to a "sagging" look about the horse. EMS also effects the immune system making your horse prone to infections willing to capitilize on your horses lowered defense mechanism.
The point being "No Sugar Daddy's Allowed." In the wild, horses travel long distances without grain, buckets of carrots and sugar cubes and my guess would be that these same horses often arrive at their destinations without fear of becoming overweight, lame or suffering from a crested neck. Are we over doing it with sugar coated feed? I encourage you to take a look at the second reference down discussing reasons not to feed straight alfalfa to your horse. I'm not saying I agree with everything, but the article is definitely interesting!
Insulin resistance, a metabolic condition, can have a devastating effect on humans called diabetes but can the same thing happen to a horse? A hallmark of insulin resistance is a cresty neck—sometimes in combination with obesity, sometimes not. Insulin resistance (IR) is the inability of the body to remove blood sugar (glucose) from circulation. Insulin resistance can lead to the development of several related diseases like laminitis and equine
Cushing’s disease. Just like humans, excess bodyweight, lack of exercise and/or a modern diet high in sugars and starch (found in high amounts in many commercially processed feeds) may predispose a horse to develop insulin
resistance. IR can be detected and diagnosed with thorough blood work and working closely with your vetrinarian.
What can you do if your horse has a crested neck? First part of treating the problem is knowing what caused it so you can eliminate the problem. If your concerned it may be a thyroid issue or related to insulin resistance have your horse tested. This can be done with a simple basic screening test called a resting serum insulin test. This requires a single blood sample after 12 hours of nothing but grass hay (or nothing at all). This test will help determine whether or not insulin resistance is present.
Obesity is a huge co-inhabitor. Avoid feeding products that do not list their ingredients. You should know what your putting into the mouth of your loved one. Similar to humans one would want to monitor their horses diet and restrict carbohydrates and sugars while increasing exercise to decrease their horses weight.
No comfort food - just kindness.
Neck sweats are also suggested in several forums by owners as well as magnesium supplements such as the american brand MagOx though I could not find studies to prove their effectiveness.
Last but not least I found an interesting website discussing cinnamon and its effect on horses suffering from IR. The article states that Methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP) found in cinnamon helps cells recongnize and respond to insulin which aids in transporting glucose from the blood into the cells.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What have you tried? What has worked? What hasn't?
References:
http://www.hopeforsoundness.com/education/articles/additional/metabolicissues-stiller.html
http://grandadventuresranch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:reasons-not-to-feed-straight-alfalfa-to-your-horse&catid=43:horse-health&Itemid=62
http://www.magox.com/
Dr. Lon Lewis, "Feeding and Care of the Horse"
http://www.wholehorse.com/articles/cinnamon_article.htm
In today's post we will be discussing crested necks. The crest is the topline of the neck or the gentle curve from the poll to the withers. A neck is considered crested when this area becomes very thick or in somecases flops over (fallen crest).
What causes a crested neck and how can I protect my horse you ask? There are several reasons a horse may get a crested neck. The first reason may be simple genetics as some breeds are more susceptible to a crested neck. Additionally, stallions of any breed may carry more of a crest than mares or geldings as fat in the neck is a secondary sexual characteristic. This natural conformation in a horse not exhibiting other symptoms should not be mistaken for a sign that disease exists.
Secondly, a cresty neck can be an indication of obesity which is associated with founder and fatty liver disease. A horse may gain too much weight or gain weight too quickly and store excess fat in the neck causing the crest to appear or become hard and lumpy.
A third reason is equine metabolic syndrome or EMS. Horses with EMS can exhibit several distinct signs including a crested neck, puffiness around the eyes, and lumpy fat deposits around the tail, head and withers eventually leading to a "sagging" look about the horse. EMS also effects the immune system making your horse prone to infections willing to capitilize on your horses lowered defense mechanism.
The point being "No Sugar Daddy's Allowed." In the wild, horses travel long distances without grain, buckets of carrots and sugar cubes and my guess would be that these same horses often arrive at their destinations without fear of becoming overweight, lame or suffering from a crested neck. Are we over doing it with sugar coated feed? I encourage you to take a look at the second reference down discussing reasons not to feed straight alfalfa to your horse. I'm not saying I agree with everything, but the article is definitely interesting!
Insulin resistance, a metabolic condition, can have a devastating effect on humans called diabetes but can the same thing happen to a horse? A hallmark of insulin resistance is a cresty neck—sometimes in combination with obesity, sometimes not. Insulin resistance (IR) is the inability of the body to remove blood sugar (glucose) from circulation. Insulin resistance can lead to the development of several related diseases like laminitis and equine
Cushing’s disease. Just like humans, excess bodyweight, lack of exercise and/or a modern diet high in sugars and starch (found in high amounts in many commercially processed feeds) may predispose a horse to develop insulin
resistance. IR can be detected and diagnosed with thorough blood work and working closely with your vetrinarian.
What can you do if your horse has a crested neck? First part of treating the problem is knowing what caused it so you can eliminate the problem. If your concerned it may be a thyroid issue or related to insulin resistance have your horse tested. This can be done with a simple basic screening test called a resting serum insulin test. This requires a single blood sample after 12 hours of nothing but grass hay (or nothing at all). This test will help determine whether or not insulin resistance is present.
Obesity is a huge co-inhabitor. Avoid feeding products that do not list their ingredients. You should know what your putting into the mouth of your loved one. Similar to humans one would want to monitor their horses diet and restrict carbohydrates and sugars while increasing exercise to decrease their horses weight.
No comfort food - just kindness.
Neck sweats are also suggested in several forums by owners as well as magnesium supplements such as the american brand MagOx though I could not find studies to prove their effectiveness.
Last but not least I found an interesting website discussing cinnamon and its effect on horses suffering from IR. The article states that Methylhydroxy chalcone polymer (MHCP) found in cinnamon helps cells recongnize and respond to insulin which aids in transporting glucose from the blood into the cells.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. What have you tried? What has worked? What hasn't?
References:
http://www.hopeforsoundness.com/education/articles/additional/metabolicissues-stiller.html
http://grandadventuresranch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:reasons-not-to-feed-straight-alfalfa-to-your-horse&catid=43:horse-health&Itemid=62
http://www.magox.com/
Dr. Lon Lewis, "Feeding and Care of the Horse"
http://www.wholehorse.com/articles/cinnamon_article.htm